Nature's Gift
by Orpheus Kidwell
Summary: Ever since he could remember, Naruto could understand what animals were saying. They understood him better than the people of the village, so he spent his time among nature, utilizing his Gift. When Orochimaru takes an interest in the boy, his life finally begins, but on what path will he find himself walking? Inspiration from Problem Children. Nature Sage!Narutox?
1. Chapter I: Snake in the Grass

**Nature's Gift**

 **Heya everyone! So… new idea here, I need some input on whether it's interesting and if I should do it?**

 **So, I recently watched an anime called "Problem Children are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?" and this idea has been floating around in my head ever since. I really loved the main characters of the show and so, here's what came of that!**

 **I wanted a story where Naruto's abilities were based around Kasukabe You, and so that's what I've done. Ah, and to the majority of you that have likely not seen the anime, her ability "Genome Tree" allows her to communicate with animals and copy qualities of animals she's come into contact with.**

 **Hm… as for his personality, I'll let you guys figure that out by yourself.**

 **So, let's begin!**

 **Chapter I: Snake in the Grass**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden or Problem Children Are Coming to Our World, Aren't They?. They belong to their respective owners. Please support the official release.**

 _It's so dark… where am I?_ The thought dominated his mind. He was having trouble remembering anything right now… it was strange. Light suddenly flooded his vision though, and he recoiled, covering his eyes protectively as he tried to allow himself to adjust from the pitch darkness he had been forced to endure before. Blinking, he finally found himself able to scope out the surroundings.

Standing before him was a man with skin that looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in at least several years, slick black hair and amber eyes that reminded the boy of a snake for some reason. The man wore the Konohagakure Jounin uniform, which put the boy at ease as he felt he could trust him. The Jounin of the village were there to protect the citizens after all. As the man approached, he knelt in front of the boy, reflecting his blue eyes and blonde spikes of hair in the metal plate of his hitai-ite.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Do you know who I am?" The boy shook his head, not having even the slightest idea of who this man was. "My name is Hebi Orochimaru. I have been tasked with looking after you after your accident." Naruto tilted his head, unsure what the man was talking about. "Ah, I was expecting you not to remember. You had a particularly bad head trauma after you fell out the second floor of the Academy. You see, while I am no medic-ninja, I am a very accomplished scientist of the Research and Development Department of Konoha with much of my studies revolving around biology and anatomy. The medics wanted to heal your physical injuries, but you had none of those. The Hokage and the orphanage however have given me permission to perform some… tests on you. With the ease that your body healed after the accident, I think it would allow me to find ways to help other people."

"Wait… are you saying I have some sort of… kekkai genkai?" Naruto asked curiously. When the man nodded his head, Naruto couldn't help but grin. He had a bloodline! That would really help him find out who his parents were! "What sort of tests, Orochimaru-sensei?" Naruto asked curiously. The man smiled.

"Oh, nothing too serious. I just want to find out why you healed so quickly and how you gained this ability." Naruto nodded, understanding. "You would be fine with participating in this then?"

The blonde thought about it. "What about my classes?" Orochimaru waved the concerns off.

"Do not worry, you will be given excused absences while we do this and all of your assignments will be delivered here by one of the other students. In addition, I will walk you through the lessons myself, but I would ask that you remain here for the tests so that I can monitor you throughout the various experiments I will be performing." Naruto nodded, showing his agreement.

"Sure, I'll help you then, Orochimaru-sensei!" Naruto grinned. Orochimaru matched the smile with one of his own, his eyes not quite matching. The pale man then stood and turned away from the blonde, licking his lips as his amber eyes glinted dangerously.

"Good… good. I will have someone come along shortly to bring you some food. For now, I ask that you remain in this room unless someone comes for you. The building we are in houses some very dangerous objects and I would hate for something to happen to you. There are plenty of scrolls here to read, a radio if you'd like some music to drown out the silence, a desk with paper and utensils for writing or drawing and even some toys to play with if you'd like. If you find there is anything specific you'd like to have delivered, tell the aide who brings your food and I will see if it can be brought. There is a bathroom for you through the door there and a closet with changes of clothing just next to it, so please feel free to do as you wish until the tests begin."

With that, Orochimaru left the room, leaving Naruto alone. After he did, Naruto had a curious look on his face. _"He lied to you."_ He heard the familiar voice and looked down in his lap where a grey-furred cat sat, looking up at him with curious eyes. _"I know you could hear his pulse, smell the change in his sweat and detect the scent of snake on him. Why did you fake as if you believed what he said?"_

"Oh, you worry too much, Kaijin. I mean, I don't have to go to school if I do this and it's not like the Hokage will let me be hurt. Even if that guy didn't get his permission to do this, then that just means that he'll send out search parties and eventually he'll find me. I get a break from everything like this." Laying on his back, the seven year old placed his hands behind him head and shut his eyes. "I mean, it's just _so_ boring going to school every day."

" _I understand your reluctance to attend classes, they are certainly dull. However, it does make me worry that this man who smells of snakes tried to convince you that you fell from the second story and received a head trauma that may have caused slight memory loss. You have jumped from the second floor before and always land fine… why would he think something like that would work?"_

"Eh, oh well. Where are we anyways? You followed them and slipped in here when he left just now, right? You must know have an idea of where he's keeping me." He opened one eye, looking at the cat that stood on his chest. The feline gave him a look that was almost certainly meant to reprimand him for his carefree attitude. "Come on, Kaijin, at least humor me."

" _You are hopeless, Naruto. Alright, well, we are in Konoha still, though this is actually an underground complex beneath Training Ground 34. Since this particular training ground is meant to simulate Rai no Kuni, it is pretty large with many rocky structures. The entrance to this place was hidden within the side of one of the larger rocks and the lab itself seems to stretch out very far, probably half the size of that Training Ground 44 you are so fond of visiting."_

"Hey, the animals there are pretty cool. They actually let me do things, unlike a certain cat I know who is always telling me what to do." Naruto responded without opening his eyes. "I'm sure that everything will turn out just fine. Even if that guy kidnapped me, he's sure keeping up an act to try and convince me that I'm in no danger, so why not take advantage of the hospitality while I can? It's a great opportunity."

" _I really wish you would take this more seriously, Naruto."_ Kaijin complained. _"However, you are correct on one account."_ The confession surprised Naruto and he opened his eyes to look at the cat. _"This man is, if I remember correctly, Orochimaru of the Sannin. If he is going to go over your lessons personally, it presents an interesting opportunity to learn from a powerful ninja like him. With the one-on-one treatment, there's no way you can get bored either. This may be just the thing you need to pay more attention to your studies."_

The boy sighed. _Yeah… should've seen that. Of course_ that's _what Kaijin thinks is the positive part of this little… vacation. Oh well, no big deal, I guess._ "Alright, sure, I'll pay attention." Naruto watched as the cat leapt from his chest to the floor and sat up, watching as the ash-grey cat walked around the room. "So, can you smell anything?"

" _There are no rodents in this base, perhaps some insects may make their way in however. I believe that I saw a spider or two in the hall as I came here. I doubt that they belong to species you haven't met before though."_

Naruto waved that off. "Don't worry about that, making new friends is always fun to do. Doesn't matter if I already know animals like them, meeting new ones is the best part of my ability." Kaijin shook his head in exasperation. "Hey, just cause your totally anti-social doesn't mean all of us have to be."

Kaijin turned his nose up, his back to Naruto. _"Everything has its use. I thought you would understand that by now. Too many acquaintances could not be helpful. You stretch yourself far too thin."_ Naruto chuckled at the cat's philosophy and stood, looking around his new room for the first time. There were three doors, the one to the hallway, one to the bathroom and one to a closet. The room itself was pretty large, probably almost the same size as the classroom back at the Academy.

On one wall there were three scroll cases filled to the brim with different documents that Naruto would eventually go through. The opposite wall had his bed and desk, right next to each other. Then there was also the two chests that were next to the closet door, probably filled with the "toys" that Orochimaru talked about. "Well, it could be worse. This is a vast improvement over what I have in the orphanage, for sure." Naruto said with a grin as he crossed his arms. "So, Kaijin, do you got any idea on just what this dude is up to?"

" _If I did I would already have told you, you moron."_ Naruto glared at the cat but ignored him otherwise, walking over to the scroll case and picking a random one up before opening it. _"What's that?"_ Kaijin asked, climbing up the scroll case before jumping and landing on Naruto's right shoulder, reading the text.

"Hm… I honestly have no idea at all. These words are _way_ too big for me. It might be something medical, Orochimaru said he was some sort of biologist." Kaijin nodded as Naruto shut the scroll.

" _It is true that scientific and medical texts are just about the only thing you can't read yet. Put it away and we can always come back to it later. I do wonder why he would put that in a room that you are occupying though. Does he expect you to understand it?"_

"Hm… might be that he got ahold of the Academy records or something." Naruto pointed out as he walked over to the two trunks and opened one. Grinning, he pulled a yo-yo out of it and placed it on his finger. "Yeah, after those jerks at the orphanage broke my last one, I didn't think I could get another one of these." He watched as the end was sent down and then came back at his command."

" _Is this really a time to be playing with toys?"_ Kaijin asked.

"What? Maybe it'll come in handy someday." Naruto defended. At a look from the cat, he sighed. "Fine, whatever." He conceded and put the yo-yo in his pocket as he rifled through the chest some more, pulling out a Rubik's cube. "Is this better, you uptight bastard?"

" _Your language could use some improvement, but yes, it is much better."_ Naruto stood and walked over to the desk, leaning back in the chair as he began to mix up the colored tiles, his feet on the desk. _"You are insufferable…"_ Kaijin mumbled.

"Meh, that's your opinion." Naruto replied as he began to try and solve the puzzle cube. "Anyways, what sort of tests do you think I'll have to do?"

" _I expect the man to begin with blood tests. After that, he will probably test your healing against several types of potential injuries, diseases and poisons. Can you still act lightly with that possibility in mind?"_ Naruto waved off the cat as he focused on the toy in his hand.

"Nothing could compare to those villagers and the animals in the Forest. Between that attempted _accidents_ since I was kicked out of the orphanage by the citizens and the _training_ those sadistic creatures in 44 I'm pretty much completely confident I can take whatever the Snake has for me." Kaijin couldn't help but sigh at the nonchalant attitude Naruto had about the whole situation.

" _I can see that there is no way to get you to understand what may happen, so I will let you find out yourself. Just don't come to me apologizing when you see how correct I am."_ Naruto grinned suddenly and sat up, showing the completed puzzle to his furry friend. _"You're absolutely hopeless…"_

 **And that's it!**

 **So? What are your thoughts on the potential of this story? It's been a while since I found something like this where I could just write out a whole chapter without a plan… I'm definitely enamored by the vague outline that's going on in my head right now, I won't lie.**

 **So, it would be nice to know if you guys would like to read more of this.**

 **Don't forget to Favorite and Follow! Reviews will grant me priceless feedback that I can use to improve myself!**

 **Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	2. Chapter II: Vipers Nest

**Nature's Gift**

 **Heya Orpheus here!**

 **So… first of all, I would like to say… holy hell! I had literally** _ **NO**_ **idea how well this would be received. I mean… over 30 reviews?! You guys are so freaking awesome! I love you guys so much!**

 **That said, there is only one review I feel needs to be addressed so far.**

 **JJP123: HAHAHAHA! Please tell me you're joking? Please? No? Well, I will have to reject your idea and say that I will NOT being doing NarutoxSakura. Sorry about that.**

 **Now, onto the story!**

 **Chapter II: Viper's Nest**

 _Native to Hi no Kuni, the Little brown bat (_ Myotis lucifugis) _is very common to the forests of the country. Its fur is uniformly dark brown on the back and upper parts with greyish fur underneath with an average wingspan of 22-27 cm and an adult size of 6-10 cm long. They are insectivores that diet mostly on moths, wasps, beetles, gnats, mosquitoes, midges and mayflies among others and roost near water as many of their preferred meals have aquatic stages of life. Unlike other bats, the Little brown bat does not claim feeding areas as their territory, despite the fact that they usually return to the same area if they have had success. If they do not find food during the night, they enter a hibernation-like state during the day until the night before hunting again in a different area._

 _They live 6 to 7 years though there are many instances of individual bats of this species living past 10 years. They are preyed on by many animals however, including birds, rats and snakes and are often targeted when they live together in roosts. They also may host various parasites such as fleas or lice. Despite this, they are more often killed by accidents involving human civilization than their predators._

" _Someone is coming, Naruto."_ The blonde looked up from the scroll he was reading in time for the door to open. He closed the scroll as he watched the boy enter. It was a genin with spiked silver hair and thin spectacles wearing a buttoned-up lab coat over whatever was underneath and a pair of closed-toe shoes – were they called sneaker? – holding a tray of food.

"Hello there, Naruto-kun. My name is Yakushi Kabuto." The boy introduced himself politely. Naruto looked at the boy and got a distinct scent of snakes from him, not anywhere near the same extent as Orochimaru, but it was faintly there all the same. It piqued Naruto's curiosity, but in the end all it really meant was that the boy likely spent a lot of time with the man. "I am an assistant to Orochimaru at the lab here." He explained as he placed the food tray on the desk Naruto sat at.

"Nice to meet you." Naruto replied with a smile as he noticed that Kaijin had disappeared, probably under the bed. "What do you do here?" Naruto wondered as he set the scroll on his desk and looked at the tray, picking up an orange on the plate and peeling it with a kunai from the pouch he kept on his pants.

Kabuto smiled back, dusting off his lab coat. "I'm just an intern right now that comes when I'm off-duty. Orochimaru-sensei doesn't really let me do much besides cleaning the instruments and bringing food to the test subjects. Sometimes I get to perform a few health diagnostics before he does the actually experiments though, but nothing too serious." He admitted. Naruto nodded as he ate a slice of the orange, setting his kunai on the tray.

"Sounds fun…" He replied sarcastically. He absolutely _loathed_ boring work, especially repetitive things. It's why he was so glad to be out of school, it was _so boring_. Why did people want him to always do boring things anyways? He didn't need to be in a lecture, he could just read about things and understand it! Stupid Iruka-sensei…

"So, what are you reading?" Naruto was thrown out of his thoughts as Kabuto asked, glancing at the closed scroll. "Something about a powerful jutsu or ninja history, perhaps?" The boy wondered.

"Not even close." Naruto replied as he picked up the can of soda that came with the meal and leaned back in his chair, opening the can and drinking it. "Why should I read about a jutsu that I don't understand the theory for or read about an old war from a biased perspective?" He asked as he took a sip. "I'm reading about species of animals that I can find in Konoha's training grounds. I would rather learn about things that I can use in my day to day life than something I can't attain or something that might help if another war happens. It's so much more useful to learn practical things, like the local wildlife, survival skills, how to fight, things like that."

Kabuto was clearly surprised at the change in personality that he witnessed. As Naruto finished the soda, he crushed the can and threw it just past Kabuto, sinking it into the trash can on the other side of the room. "So, anything else?" He asked the boy? "Does the snake want to ask me something else through you or what?" Kabuto shook himself from his stupor and smiled, a slimy look that held no compassion, only amusement.

"So, you're pretty smart. I didn't quite believe the records and neither did Orochimaru-sensei. With such low grades, but conflicting scores on comprehension, practical and IQ tests, it was very suspect. It was a bit difficult to know whether you were a delinquent or an honor student." Naruto waved it off, picking up the bowl of ramen that was on his tray and eating it.

"Why do I have to fall into one category?" He asked seriously. "I'm my own person, don't lump me in with the nerds and the dunces." He said with clear disdain. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and that's it. So what if I get into fights every week or if I get the best scores in subjects that I find interesting? It doesn't mean that I'm automatically someone you can put in one group."

Kabuto scowled at the boy, not liking his attitude one bit. "So you think you're someone special? I'm sure that Orochimaru-sensei will get rid of that for you…" Turning away, Kabuto left the room, making Naruto grin.

" _Are you certain that was a good idea?"_ Kaijin wondered curiously. _"He'll surely tell the snake about what happened here."_

"Oh, I don't know." Naruto said as he slurped down the broth after finishing the noodles. "I mean, if he does, that's basically admitting defeat. If he tells Orochimaru, then he loses." Kaijin shook his head, jumping onto the bed and looking at the blonde.

" _Not everyone sees normal conversation as a game like you."_ He pointed out. _"In fact, most people don't think of every action as a game to make their life more interesting. You need to understand that you're different from everyone else, Naruto. And not just in the way you think."_ The cat paused a moment. _"While your Gift does make you unique, your outlook on life is also unique. Most people just accept life and do as they are told, not everyone seeks to make it interesting with every fibre of their being. The one who was just here is likely one who just does as his master commands, not one who seeks to have 'fun' as you do."_

Naruto hummed in thought at the thought as he set the bowl on the tray. "Maybe you're right, but that makes this even more interesting." He grinned wide as the cat's eyes held curiosity. "Now it becomes a matter of whether the snake or I win. Can he get me to take everything submissively or will I outsmart him?" Kaijin saw where the boy was going with this.

" _You plan to escape just to prove you can."_ Kaijin pointed out. The grin that Naruto wore was proof enough for him. _"Well, it will certainly prove interesting to see if you can. Alright, so what will you call this… game? What are the stakes?"_ Naruto pondered that for a moment before letting his lips curl into a triumphant smile.

"The Viper's Nest… and the stakes will be… hm… when I win, you will have no complaints when I go back into the Forest of Death and if I lose, I will have no complaints with attending the Academy for a whole month. Deal?" Kaijin looked at the blonde for a moment, weighing the two options against each other before nodding.

" _Let the Gift Game begin."_ He spoke neutrally. _"I am curious to see how you plan to get out of this one though. No doubt it will involve your Genome Tree, but the options you may utilize are many, so I will just have to wait and see the how, won't I?"_

"Isn't that the most fun though? So many ways to solve a problem… the options are as endless as my imagination. That's what makes life so interesting. Every problem has a thousand and one solutions and it's up to me to choose which one of those is the one I should use. Every option has the possibility to either bring me success or unleash horrible consequences if I fail… isn't that gamble what makes life so interesting? The risks you take to climb the ladders of society, to find a higher quality of life they make every step, every breath so dangerous, yet so fun." His grin practically split the boy's face in two.

" _Hm… we shall see what you can accomplish then, won't we?"_ Kaijin noted with a hint of amusement in his voice. _"Let us see just how you will get out of here…"_

 **[Hokage Tower – Hokage's Office]**

"Hokage-sama, ANBU Black Ops Agent Ookami here to provide my report." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded as he exhaled smoke from his pipe, looking at the wolf-masked ANBU in his office that he knew to be Inuzuka Tsume. "As ordered, I began an investigation on the disappearance of Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi no Jinchuuriki. From what I have gathered thanks to my ninken as well as my own information gathering, Uzumaki Naruto was taken by Hebi Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin."

Hiruzen frowned, placing his pipe on the desk with a sigh. "I was afraid of that…"

"The scent of snakes and foxes together leaves no room for argument." She pointed out. "The cat that is always with him, the grey one, I caught the scent of it as well. I have no doubt that Orochimaru has taken Naruto. We've been looking into the other kidnapping for months but Hokage-sama… it is surely time to take an action, no? Forgive me if I am speaking above my station, but he is a danger to the village… he has even captured out jinchuuriki. There is no telling what sort of horrible things he is doing to him."

Hiruzen could do nothing but agree with the woman. He needed to act, and soon. "Find their trail and when you locate the location that Orochimaru is hiding the children then inform me. I wish to be there myself. He is my student… my responsibility, after all." Ookami nodded her head once, noting the orders. "Thank you, Ookami."

"By your leave, Hokage-sama." With his nod, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Orochimaru… what are you up to? What could you be trying to do with Naruto?" Hiruzen asked himself as he picked up his pipe again, puffing on it to ease his nerves. "What has gotten into you?"

 **[Naruto's Room - Midnight]**

As soon as the light went out, Naruto opened his eyes. Instead of the blue orbs he usually had, his pupils had become slit and his irides were now a deep yellow. Sitting up in his bed, he looked around and grinned as his ears twitched, listening for any sounds. Throwing his blanket from his body, he stood and walked over to the desk he had been given where a single scroll lay rolled up. Opening it up, he walked over to the scroll case and opened it up wide to reveal a storage seal to those who could see in the pitch darkness.

Removing each of the scrolls on the case with carefully practiced ease, he soundlessly set them atop his scroll where each one disappeared within. After they were completely gone, the boy rolled up the final scroll. _"Already leaving then?"_ Kaijin asked the boy curiously as he watched smoke envelop the boy.

As it dispersed, he lost the shirt and shorts that Orochimaru had provided in the closet in exchange to the – suspiciously – ripped clothing that he had arrived in. Kaijin saw that Naruto was wearing his normal garb. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and brown pants as well as a pair of matching boots. Over his clothing, he had on a sleeveless, white coat with a blue trimming coated in seals on the inside. Slipping the storage scroll near one of them on his coat, it disappeared.

"Of course I am, Kaijin. I set the Game didn't I? What use is there in me waiting around? He already took a blood sample. He started his tests, so I should start my attempt." As he said that, several seals on his coat began to glow and released a _flood_ of small specks that Kaijin recognized as termites. They swarmed forward, towards the thick, wooden wall just left of the door and began to eat. "Make sure to fill up guys, there's plenty for everyone."

In a little less than ten minutes, there was a hole in the wall that was large enough for Naruto to slip through. After letting the termites go back to their home within his coat, Naruto crawled through the hole, followed by Kaijin. He clicked his tongue as he came out to the hallway and waited for the echo, smiling as he found the exit.

Walking silently, he clicked his tongue every so often to make sure that no one else was around. As he found the foot of a set of stairs he grinned to himself and walked up, proud of himself for doing so well and winning the Game. _"You're awfully happy."_

"For a Sannin, he didn't really put up much of a fight. Escaping was almost too easy." Opening the door, he was surprised when he heard growling and had to jump out of the way, else be tackled by a _very_ large dog who bared its fangs at him. "Hey there buddy… don't wanna eat me. I can promise you that, I taste just _awful_."

"Naruto?" The blonde looked up, turning his head to regard the voice and saw the Hokage standing there, ANBU behind him with weapons drawn. "What are you… how did…?"

"Oh, hey there Old Man." He said with a grin as he looked at the dog and scratched behind the ninken's ear, producing a satisfied whine from the pooch. "What's up?"

" _That feels really good…"_ He heard the dog mumble, tongue hanging from her mouth. _"You're alright kid, sorry for trying to attack you. My master just was so surprised when it happened, so I thought you might be a threat."_

"Did Orochimaru let you go?" Hiruzen asked and Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"Nah, nah. I got out, that snake was no match for my wits." He explained. "Metal door, but left the walls as wood, no match for my friends." He said plainly. "And you're forgiven, what's your name? I'm Naruto." The second part was directed at the dog.

" _Kirin, nice to meet you Naruto."_

"Escaped…?" One of the ANBU asked. "H-how?"

"Yes… I'd like to know as well…" The new voice caught the attention of the ANBU and the Hokage. Naruto looked over and saw the Sannin and grinned.

"Surprised? That's whatcha get for lying to me, you slimy bastard!" He said with more than a little satisfaction. "Why should I say anything though? If you can't figure out yourself, then it's not worth my time to reveal anything." The pale man wore a smile, though it was obviously not one of amusement, more likely it was one that spoke of pain.

"Orochimaru… you will not escape. I am arresting you for your crimes of kidnapping children for whatever purpose they are down here for." The snake-like man grinned at that, a long tongue flicking out as he licked his lips.

"Sorry, Sarutobi-sensei… but my goals are much larger than Konoha. I cannot allow that. You will see me again, I can promise you that… kukuku…" He vowed as his form melted into the ground until only a pile of mud was left. Hiruzen cursed his luck as he looked down at the blonde boy who was busy petting the ninken, not even worried about the S-rank nukenin who had held him captive. Knowing the boy, he saw the whole thing as a game…

"I want all of you to split up and search the base. Find everyone who is captured and release them. Send those who are in need of medical attention to the General Hospital. We will start interrogations in two days, so anyone who is not a victim, send them to Ibiki so I can have a preliminary report prepared on the individuals and their backgrounds. Naruto…" The blonde looked up at the old man. "I need you to come with me…"

"Hm… sure, why not?" He asked as he stood and stuffed his hands in his pockets, Kaijin following right behind him and completely unafraid of the large ninken. "Whatcha need from me, Old Man?" He asked after the ANBU – and the ninken – disappeared into the compound.

"I need to know how you escaped." He stated simply. Naruto shrugged but nodded anyways.

"Ya, ya, sure, I'll tell you." He replied as he knelt down and held out his arms, Kaijin hopping into them. "Hm… well, I guess it's all thanks to the Genome Tree, if I had to name one thing, besides my amazing intelligence."

Hiruzen furrowed his brow, but for the life of him he couldn't recall ever hearing something called the Genome Tree in his life. He, instead of interrupting, let the boy continue. "Heh, I see how confused you are, Old Man. Don't worry, I'll explain it to you. Basically, I can understand and talk to any animal and I can also take on their qualities." He pointed out, causing the Hokage to genuinely feel surprised, something that was not very common as of late. "So what I did was wait for midnight and then…" He pulled his coat a bit, letting the Hokage see the intricate sealwork that existed. _He's certainly your son, Minato and Kushina._ "I let some of my friends out to chew a hole in the wooden wall."

"Friends?" Hiruzen asked curiously.

"Yeah, I let all kinds of creepy crawlies stay here in my coat and in exchange, they promise to help me when I need it. In this case, I let out the hive of termites. I bet that Snake never though I would do that!" Naruto laughed at the ignorant Sannin before continuing. "Then Kaijin and I here left the room and I used some echolocation to find my way to the exit. Pretty impressive huh? I bet you never heard of someone like me before?" Naruto couldn't help but wear a triumphant grin on his face, snickering at how well his plan worked.

Despite himself, the Hokage couldn't help but join the boy in laughter. It was certainly something that he never thought to see… Had Naruto inherited a never before heard of kekkai genkai from one of his parents? Had the Kyuubi perhaps caused a mutation in his DNA? He didn't know, but what he _did_ know is that Naruto certainly was one of a kind. "Well, I certainly am impressed. Even if you didn't use any chakra-based techniques to do it, it is very impressive that were able to escape from under Orochimaru's nose. Actually, it is only more impressive for your lack of chakra use."

Naruto felt himself grin at the praise, glad someone realized how great he was. "I'm sure all of this excitement has tired you out though. I am glad that all of this was resolved over the weekend and I just know that you'll be looking forward to school tomorrow." That grin dropped nearly instantly and the boy scowled.

"Fine, whatever. I guess I'll go…" He mumbled as he walked out of the compound, past the Hokage and towards his apartment. "Still think I should get some sort of recognition for this." Hiruzen heard the whining of the boy and couldn't help but shake his head. Still… _I'm almost afraid to know what you've been doing here, Orochimaru. I am glad that Naruto didn't have to be subject to it. Thankfully we arrived when we did…_ Hiruzen could feel the chakra of two ANBU he had assigned the new long-term mission of tailing Naruto follow the boy from the trees. _I must be more careful. If he has interest in Naruto, things could go south very quickly. I will need to increase security and make sure he can protect himself. Minato… if only you were here to take care of your son…_

 **[Story Stats]**

 **Views: 1266**

 **Favorites: 115**

 **Follows: 208**

 **Reviews: 31**

 **Communities: 1**

 **[][][]**

 **And… that's it!**

 **So, thoughts? Questions? Comments (read as reviews)?**

 **Hit me up with anything you've got to say about the story!**

 **Before anyone asks, I have no idea what the pairing will be yet. So, don't ask. Suggestions are fine though!**

 **Also, know of a really cool species of animal you think would be cool to see? Why not tell me about them in a review and I'll do some research, eh?**

 **Oh, and don't forget to favorite and follow! Reviews bring me inspiration!**

 **Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	3. Chapter III: Demon of the Academy

**Nature's Gift**

 **Hey there guys! Got another chapter for all of you readers!**

 **Eh, another short one, but that's the price for these quick updates, you know?**

 **So, let's answer some reviews and then begin!**

 **Ryuujin96: I don't think this story is going to be dark, but Naruto is definitely Chaotic Neutral in this story, not really caring about authority in the slightest, so I'll let you see how that affects his loyalty to Konoha.**

 **Myafroatemydog: Nope! Naruto can also take on qualities of other animals and use their abilities.**

 **Shigure Toshiro: Naruto will only have this ability, though I am a bit tempted to have other Gifts within other people. Of course, if I did that then it would mean I have to make this a true crossover. I'll figure that out and get back to you.**

 **Rikudo no Shinju: So long as the creature is biological and non-human I believe it works. I mean, Kasukabe You was able to gain traits of a griffin, so I don't see why that wouldn't work.**

 **Tastybigsexy: Not to worry, there will be no harem in this story.**

 **Nirvana48: Oh, don't worry. While the Academy is going, Naruto will definitely be doing pranks. Pranks and lots of fights.**

 **Let it begin!**

 **Chapter III: Demon of the Academy**

" _Wake up, you lazy brat."_ Naruto groaned, rolling over in his bed as he felt Kaijin pawing at his head. _"Naruto, don't make me get the claws out. I know you'll heal up before classes start. Now get out of bed."_ The blonde sighed and threw the covers off of his body, Kaijin evading the blanket by jumping onto the floor.

"Fine, fine, I'm up, you bastard." Naruto complained as he yawned, using his fist to block it as he stood up, wearing just his underwear. Looking around tiredly, he found his closet and began rifling through it to find some clothes. Just like the outfit he wore in the underground lab, Naruto wore a white shirt, brown pants and boots and his sleeveless, white and blue jacket, seals on the inside. Moving to his dresser, he picked up a pair of headphones and slim shades, putting one over his ears, the other over his eyes.

" _Still can't tone down your senses, can you?"_ Kaijin asked curiously. _"It is rather strange that your senses are permanently affected by traits you use."_

"Yeah, well, it's useful. Still, the most I can do is just change the sensitivity by using my hearing and sight to that of another animal. The closest to human I can get is hawk sight and dog hearing, anything less than that is only temporary and just reverts back to hawk and dog…" He sighed. "I really love this ability, but it's just so messed up when I can't control it. I mean, in the lab it was fine since the walls blocked sound and the sun wasn't anywhere around, but now… I need these or I'll get nauseous, as usual."

" _Hm… that is a problem. We will need to figure out a way to bring down your sensitivity. Until then, you'll just have to deal with those."_ Kaijin pointed out. _"Now get your lazy ass to school."_

Naruto rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking out of the room. "Whatever. I'm out of here then. Don't tear up the place while I'm gone, you good for nothing cat." He said as he left through the front door. Walking out of the place he called home, Naruto smiled as he inhaled the fresh air and saw the forestry around him. Turning back to look at his house, he grinned to himself.

 _I remember when it was just some rundown old temple full of masks._ He thought to himself. _Now, thanks to help from some of my friends and a lot of reading, it's all fixed up and a great place to live. Still, if the Old Man hadn't given me that advance on the stipend, getting the furniture for the place would've taken forever._ Shaking his head, he cleared it of thoughts as he bent his legs at the knees before jumping up to one of the branches well over sixty feet high, landing on it.

From there, he let himself begin jumping from branch to branch, heading further and further away from his house. After a few minutes, he spotted the fence surrounding the forest he lived in and jumped off of the last tree, landing atop a roof, began hopping between them instead, moving to lower and lower heights with each jump until he landed on the ground, grinning as the street vendor he landed in front of jumped back in shock. "Stupid brat!"

Naruto laughed at the man's expense until he threw an apple at the blonde, aiming for his head. Instead, Naruto caught the fruit and saluted the man as he took off, eating it. "Thanks, ya senile old man!" He shouted as he left, taking more than a little amusement and entertainment at the man's fading voice as he yelled. "Hehe… love it when they get that angry." He mumbled to himself as he finished the apple off and threw the core up, watching as a pigeon swooped down and grabbed it.

Hands in his pockets, the blonde took a more sedate pace as the Academy was within sight. He sighed as he saw the open gates in front of the school. "Stupid cat… making me come here every day… lucky I don't just skip out and do something else." Even as he said that, Naruto couldn't help but grin as he spotted someone familiar. "Hey Lee!"

A boy with rather thick eyebrows above his black eyes and a long braid of shiny, black hair turned to Naruto's voice. He wore a white, short-sleeved, kimono shirt with a martial arts belt and dark pants as well as shinobi sandals. The boy was with two other boys who also looked over to Naruto as he spoke and their eyes suddenly filled with something akin to fear as they spotted the seven year old, despite clearly being several years above the blonde. Naruto noted this and grinned, walking over to the trio, cracking his knuckles. "Hey there, fellas, you look pretty familiar…"

"M-must be a coincidence, you know? Happens all the time, we got pretty common faces, you know?" The boy who spoke couldn't have been lying more even if he had claimed to be the Six Path Sage himself. He was obviously a Hyuuga by his pale eyes, had light brown hair tied in a topknot and wore a white shirt with the Hyuuga flame on the shoulders as well as blue hakama pants.

The other boy tried to nod in agreement. He was a bit freer in being able to say that he had a common face if Naruto hadn't known the boy was an Uchiha. He had short, obsidian hair and matching eyes as well as a very pale face and wore a blue shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back and blue pants, a katana hanging off of his waist. "Yeah, just a couple of normal guys…"

"Hm… Hyuuga Himaru and Uchiha Ken, that's who you are! Now, I'm pretty sure that I said my friend Lee here is off limits to you punks." Naruto stated as he grinned, his canines lengthening into snake fangs as his right hand began to grow claws and scales. "Or perhaps the hospital needs a couple more delinquents who think they can match me in another Game?" The two looked at each other.

"We… we aren't scared of a little kid like you!" Ken announced. "And I activated my Sharingan since our last fight, so I'll be able to beat you for sure!" He stated boldly, making Naruto grin further. "What's so funny!"

"Then let's set up another Gift Game. What do you say? My Genome Tree against your Byakugan and Sharingan, I think it seems fair." The blonde's fangs and claws retracted, his flesh returning to normal. "Alright, so let's see… if I win, then I want… oh, I want your sword." Naruto pointed to Ken's tanto, causing the boy to swallow. "And if you win… I'll give up…"

"I want my necklace back!" Himaru suddenly interrupted, making Naruto grin and hold his hand over one of the seals on his coat, revealing a silver amulet resembling the Hyuuga Flame. Naruto nodded as he put it around his neck with a grin.

"Deal. The rules are simple. You two against me, no killmoves, anything else is allowed." As he said that, he hovered his hand over the inside of his coat again, pulling out a wooden baseball bat and grabbing it in both hands. "Batter up…" He gave the two a challenging look as they both activated their dojutsu, Ken's Sharingan holding one tomoe in both eyes. They rushed forward, Ken aiming a punch for Naruto's face while Himaru tried to send a Juuken strike to Naruto's abdomen.

The blonde grinned and pulled his headphones down around his neck, hearing the sound of rushing wind as he sidestepped the taijutsu strikes. Tightening the muscles in his arms, he condensed the strength of a tiger into them before swinging the bat and hearing the crack as his weapon hit Himaru's side. The Hyuuga dropped to the ground like a stone, holding his ribs – which were probably bruised if not cracked – while Ken turned to the blonde, who had the bat resting on his shoulder. "Tsk, tsk, I would have thought you two would have gained some speed." Taking off his shades, Naruto's eyes were revealed to look like that of a common house fly's, which caused Ken to scowl in disgust. "Don't you know that a fly can perceive things quicker than humans? It's kind of similar to your own eyes, Ken- _senpai._ " The honorific was dripping in sarcasm. "Now, let's start up round two, ne?"

Ken's right eye began twitching angrily as Naruto compared the eyes of the _godly_ Uchiha Clan to those of an insect. Didn't this insufferable blonde know anything!? With a growl, he unsheathed his katana and rushed the boy, slashing down with all of his strength in an attempt to strike down the annoying boy. Naruto used his bat to hit the blade upwards, causing Ken to lose his grip and look up as it spun in circles in the air.

"I'm right here, Senpai!" Naruto shouted as he jabbed the bat forward, shoving it into Ken's stomach and knocking the breath out of him as he doubled over. It gave the illusion that the boy was bowing at the waist in apology to Naruto. "Don't take your eyes off the ball, you'll never become a ninja if you do!" Sending a roundhouse kick to Ken's right side, the Uchiha was sent to the floor right beside his Hyuuga friend as Naruto held his hand up, catching the katana by the handle. "Game Over, Ken-senpai, Himaru-senpai." He said with a grin as he resealed the bat and looked at his new prize. "If you want a third round, I'm all game for taking more of your things." Walking over to Ken, Naruto took the scabbard from his waist, getting no resistance from the groaning boy. "Ja ne!"

Walking into the Academy as he sheathed the blade, Lee followed the boy. "That was amazing, Naruto-kun! You didn't have to use any chakra and you won!" The blonde chuckled as the boy had stars in his eyes. "I know that I can become a great ninja with just taijutsu if you can beat the two Great Dojutsu of Konoha without using any ninjutsu!" As Lee spoke, Naruto suddenly spit into his empty hand, a glob of webbing appearing instead of saliva. "What are you doing now, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm making a temporary sash for the blade until I can get home and create a proper one." He explained to Lee. "Could you hold this for a moment?" Lee nodded and held the katana in both of his hands. As he watched the blonde, he began to shape the web slowly, stretching it out until it was as three-quarters the length of the boy's height. Then Naruto's nails grew to claws as he began cutting the webbing until what appeared to be a sash was in the boy hands. Placing it around him so that on end was over his shoulder and the other was below his waist, he then took the katana back and placed the katana in between his back and the sash, the adhesive nature of the web keeping the scabbard in place. "There we go, all done."

"Naruto-kun, will you come train with me after classes today? I would like to get stronger and I think if you help me, I can do so much quicker than on my own!" Naruto chuckled and nodded to the boy as they walked, other students giving the blonde a wide berth, staring at the necklace and sword he wore.

" _Who do you think he stole the sword from?"_

" _I don't know… but that kid is dangerous…"_

" _My parents said he's some sort of demon child… I totally believe them too. He beats up fifth and sixth years without even using any chakra."_

" _I heard that his mom was a human, but his dad was a tanuki and that's why he can take on traits of animals. He's totally a monster."_

" _No way! I heard that his dad was the Kyuubi no Kitsune and that's where his shapeshifting comes from!"_

" _No, you two are idiots. I heard that he signed a contract with a Mao and in exchange for his powers, he's going to destroy the village and give all the women and girls to the demon to become his wives."_

Naruto kept his grin up and nodded as Lee talked, though he wasn't particularly listening to the boy. Placing his shades back over his eyes and pulling his headphones over his ears so he wouldn't hear them anymore, Naruto felt his eyes moisten but held back from any outward reaction.

It was another Game. As long as he didn't let anyone see, then he won, but if they ever saw any of it then he would lose. This was one Game he would never lose. After all, his reputation as a Yankee was at stake here. It was one thing he prided himself being above all others and _no one_ would take it from him.

 **[Story Stats]**

 **Views: 3540**

 **Favorites: 190**

 **Follows: 302**

 **Reviews: 69**

 **Communities: 1**

 **[][][]**

 **And that's it!**

 **First of all, I would like to point out that I am using Yankee in the Japanese sense in this story. Naruto is not saying he is a Yankee, as in an American. He is calling himself a Yankee, as in a delinquent.**

 **Now, next thing to point out is the headphones. Given that during the Tora mission, Team 7 was shown using wireless headsets, I think headphones would be well within the technology of the Elemental Nations.**

 **Alright, to the same degree, I will point out that the baseball bat is there due to being a trademark of the Yankee culture, but I am also assuming that since the technology in the Elemental Nations is somewhat modern, then the culture can be as well. There won't actually be any baseball games in this fic, but the bat will remain. Just thought I'd explain it to people before I start getting complaints.**

 **With that having been said, I'll let you guys go with this public service announcement:**

 **Remember to favorite and follow! Reviews bring me inspiration and enables faster updates!**

 **Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	4. Chapter IV: The Demons Proposal

**Nature's Gift**

 **Heya all! Orph here again with the next chapter of Nature's Gift!**

 **So, as always, answer some reviews then we'll start!**

 **JPElles: Naruto does have a few friends and a few rivals, as you will see in the coming chapters.**

 **xxTerror33xx: Don't worry, Naruto will go more in-depth about his power but as per Shounen law, the explanations have to be made during a fight, you know? As for your other questions, his physical appearance doesn't change when he's changing something internal, yes he can use multiple animals at once so long as they don't conflict and he studies extensively about different animals through both what people write and also through observation, which allows his to access the powers. It will all be explained in future chapters just how it works.**

 **Myafroatemydog: His ability lies with fauna, not flora**

 **Now let it begin!**

 **Chapter IV: The Demon's Proposal**

"Looks like this is where we part, Lee." Naruto pointed out as he saw the sign above his classroom, 2-A. "I'll see ya at lunch." The blonde stated to his friend who grinned and nodded, waving to Naruto as he walked off, running to his own class, which Naruto knew was 3-B. "Well, I hope the lesson today is interesting…" Naruto muttered to himself as he walked into the room, hands in his pockets.

Immediately, he noted the looks that other people sent him, more specifically to the amulet and katana that he was showing off proudly, as trophies. People in his class – and most of the school for that matter – knew that he usually only displayed new parts to his attire if he had won something in one of his 'Games'. The civilian born children either sneered at him or looked away fearfully, not daring to meet the blue eyes beneath his shades. The clan ninja were, of course, a different story.

"Looks like the Demon of the Academy has another prize. So, who'd you beat up today, Naruto?" The blonde turned his head at the voice, noting the speaker. He had messy brown hair, tan skin, brown, slit eyes and two red tattoos beneath his eyes that resembled fangs and wore a black hoodie zipped up as well as a pair of brown pants. Naruto grinned upon seeing the boy.

"Ken and Himaru challenged me to a rematch after I caught them trying to beat up Lee again." Naruto pointed out and reached up, unsheathing the sword. The weight was a bit heavy, so he strengthened his muscles to that of a bear, condensed within his arm, which allowed him to easily hold it. "I won Ken's katana, pretty cool, eh?" The boy chuckled, nodding his head.

"I would have to assume that Kiba is impressed with your endeavors, Naruto-san." A boy next to the one now identified as Kiba spoke up. Similar to Naruto, the boy wore a pair of dark shades. That was where the similarities ended though. The boy had brown hair that came up in tall spikes and a high-collared, light grey coat that covered the lower half of his face and a pair of black pants.

"Don't ever have any fun, do ya, Shino?" Naruto asked the boy curiously as he sheathed the katana on his back once more. He walked up the steps in the aisle and sat in between the two boys, leaning back in the chair as he kicked his feet up onto the table. "Anyways, I'm sure those two will run off to the hospital again and be back for another rematch in the next two months. I know their type, too prideful to back down even when they know they can't beat their opponent. It makes my life interesting though and lets me play more Games."

"Are you certain it is wise to attract the attention of the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans though, Naruto-san?" It was hard to hear, but there was worry in Shino's voice. "They are powerful entities in the village that could cause problems for you if you are not careful." He pointed out, almost lecturing the blonde. Naruto waved off the boy's concerns.

"Aw, don't worry so much. You act too much like Kaijin. Both of you are going to have an anxiety attack. I don't got anything to worry about. For one, those two aren't from families with close ties to the Main Family of their clans and secondly, the Old Man wouldn't possibly let me get hurt. Plus, even if those two try to get at me, I'm sure obaa-chan will put them in their place."

"My mom really does spoil you too much." Kiba complained. "He's got a point though, Naruto. The Uchiha and Hyuuga are pretty strong. You might be able to beat Ken and Himura, but actual ninja aren't any joke. I've seen my mom spar with some of her Jounin friends and I tell you… I couldn't even see what they were doing most of the time. It was so fast…"

"Fine, fine, geez, I'll be more careful, okay?" He replied begrudgingly. "Still, I won't back down from a fight. It's not in me to do something like that." He suddenly grinned. "Speaking of Games and fights…" Kiba and Shino looked to the door where Naruto had his eyes and spotted the Hyuuga Twins.

The first one to walk in had short blue hair that didn't quite reach the tops of her ears as well as bangs that framed her face, the tips coming down past her chin. Both her eyes and her face was pale, her milky white eyes lacking any sort of pupil whatsoever. Hinata wore a beige coat with the Hyuuga Clan symbol on either sleeve, her hood down, zipped completely up and held her hands together tightly in front of her stomach, head lowered and not meeting anyone's eyes.

Behind her was Hanabi, who obviously was different in both looks and personality. She had long, dark brown hair and two pink ribbons tied to her bangs, her hair kept in a ponytail in the back, tied by a white ribbon. Her skin was a shade or two darker and she wore a tan, long-sleeved kimono shirt with a lighter colored obi around her waist, a knee-length skirt of the same shade as her kimono shirt with flame designs licking the hem of her skirt. As the second sister walked in and saw Naruto she scowled, obvious distaste for him in her eyes.

Kiba chuckled at what he knew was about to come while Shino sighed heavily, trying to calm himself so the kikaichu within him would stay calm. "Hey there, Princess." Naruto said with a lazy wave, his other hand on the Hyuuga Flame amulet around his neck, idly stroking it with his thumb. "How's it going?"

Hanabi's eyes drifted to the amulet Naruto had and she actually growled at the blonde. "What did I tell you about wearing that, freak?" When all he did was grin, she began to walk over to the desk that he sat at, her eyes showing only pure _lividity_ that he would desecrate the Hyuuga name by wearing the amulet that only Main Branch Hyuuga were given, only they were allowed to have. "Take it off this instance and give it here." She was obviously trying very hard to not yell at the boy.

"No way, Princess." He said with humor lacing his tone. "I won it fair and square, remember? I beat Himaru and it was his wager in my Game. Same reason I got this neat new sword from his friend, Ken. The rules of the Gift Games are binding you know, Princess." He pointed out. "You're welcome to try taking it from me though." He stated in a challenging tone, causing her to fume and narrow her eyes. "Whatcha say? Think you can beat the Demon of the Academy in a spar?"

Hinata, next to Hanabi, pulled slightly on her sister's sleeve and gained her attention. "H-hanabi, h-he's just t-t-trying to get u-under your skin." She whispered, barely audible to normal people, but Naruto, Kiba and Shino all heard her clearly thanks to sensitive hearing in the case of the first two and kikaichu of the second.

Hanabi scowled and grit her teeth. "I know… but he's attacking the pride of our clan by wearing that! Fine, I accept your Game! I'll beat you in a spar after school for sure!" Naruto grinned as she stated that. "But take it off and don't wear it for the rest of the day!" Naruto took the amulet off of his neck, sealing it up in his coat.

"The Game is set then." Naruto stated, suddenly serious, though the look of excitement in his eyes was obvious and his grin hadn't receded at all. "We'll discuss the terms when we're ready to start. We'll do it at Training Ground 3 thirty minutes after school ends. That gives me plenty of time to figure out what I want if I win." He said before leaning back in his chair once more. "I look forward to playing with you, Princess." He said as he waved her off, causing her fume at his arrogance. "Go on, wouldn't want you to be corrupted by being near the Demon for too long, right?"

"As if I would want to be around you any longer than necessary!" She replied, walking up the stairs. "Come on, Hinata." The bluenette quickly followed behind her sister up to their seats just as their sensei walked into the room.

Iruka-sensei was a man likely in his mid-twenties with dark skin, a pineapple ponytail of dark brown hair and a large scar across his nose, serious brown eyes above it. He wore the Chuunin uniform that consisted of a blue shirt, blue pants and the Chuunin vest, his blue hitai-ite around his forehead. "Alright, settle down class." He said, though the groups of students were still talking. "Settle down!" A few groups quieted, but a majority actively kept their conversations going. It was at this point that Naruto placed his hands over his headphones, pressing them closer to his ears and Kiba put in a pair of earplugs that Naruto offered him. Shino breathed deeply, ready to reign peace throughout his hive if necessary. Iruka's head suddenly grew disproportionately large compared to his body, his face grew red and his voice was multiplied in volume by several factors. **"I SAID SETTLE DOWN!"**

Everyone _immediately_ sat down and stayed quiet, looking at the brunette as he appeared normal once more, smiling. "Good morning, class!" He announced cheerily as Naruto and Kiba freed their ears of the extra obstructions and allowed them to hear the man. "I hope your weekend was fun and interesting." Naruto couldn't help but grin at the thought of his weekend. It had certainly been both of those things.

"Now, I've graded your tests that we took on Friday, so I'll go ahead and pass those out. Come collect them as I call your name. Aburame Shino." Shino stood to go get his test and Naruto mostly ignored the people who went to get theirs aside from a few. Thanks to his hearing he was able to get a pretty good idea of how people did.

"Man… kaa-chan is going to get me for sure." Kiba whined as he came back from getting his own score. Naruto looked at the Inuzuka's paper and saw it was a 65. To his right, though, Shino scored a respectable 83.

"Well, at least you didn't get the worst score." Naruto pointed out to his friend, still listening in on other people. "Looks like Chouji got a 43." Kiba looked at his test and sighed. "Still not satisfied? Well, just have to try harder next time." As Iruka called Naruto's name, he stood and walked over to the man, who handed him his test back.

"Good job, Naruto." Iruka congratulated the blonde, though Naruto could smell the fear the man had when he was near. "93 is very impressive and a vast improvement over the 28 you had on the last test." Naruto shrugged.

"I wasn't interested in learning about the Noble families that live in the Fire Capital." He stated. "But learning about what plants can make what types of poisons really intrigues me, so of course I studied really hard. That's a useful skill that would actually benefit me in a mission." His matter-of-fact tone was something that Iruka was used to by this point and as Naruto walked away, he called out for Yamanaka Ino to get her test. As Naruto sat back down, he set the test on the desk and immediately heard Kiba's groan from next to him.

"Oh, come on! You got such a low score on the last test!" Kiba complained. "And now you got a nearly perfect test? That's like a sword to my ego… Kaa-chan will tan my hide for sure if she finds out how well Shino and you did…" Naruto chuckled at the thought but shrugged.

"You just gotta think of it as a Game." Naruto pointed out. "I can't wait until the scores on posted in the hall though, I really want to beat those _Noble_ Clan members." Naruto said with a large grin.

"Naruto-san, your obsession with beating Hanabi, Sasuke and Ino is a bit… worrying." Shino pointed out as Iruka moved to the chalkboard and began writing in preparation for the lesson. "Is it really so important to defeat them specifically?"

"Of course it is." Naruto replied with a grin. "They're the three most talented clan ninja in the class. They aren't really prodigies, but they're still from clans. If I can beat them, then it means that being born into a clan doesn't have any meaning as far as potential is concerned. If I can beat those three then Lee can definitely become a ninja in his own right. If I can beat them, then Tenten can become a kunoichi as great as Tsunade. The three of us made a promise on the day that Tenten was adopted, that we would become the best shinobi we could possibly be and prove that even orphans can compete with people from clans like you two."

Kiba grinned at that while Shino smiled – though it was hard to tell with his collar covering his lips. "Well, guess you'll have to compete with us, won't you?" Kiba pointed out. "We'll just have to get strong together and all become great." Naruto's smile matched the dog-like boy's and he nodded in agreement as Iruka turned from the board, about to start the lesson.

"I look forward to winning that Game then, Kiba."

 **[Story Stats]**

 **Views: 5872**

 **Favorites: 235**

 **Follows: 350**

 **Reviews: 93**

 **Communities: 2**

 **[][][]**

 **And that's it!**

 **So, not much action here, but lots of character interactions with Naruto's class and a Gift Game for the future.**

 **Also, yes, I made Hanabi Hinata's twin in this story and that's done for a specific reason that's non-pairing related. Her appearance is also her look from Naruto: The Last and from Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. That's not to say it's not a possibility she'll be paired with him, but the actual reason for me to make her the same age is not for romantic purposes.**

 **With that said, don't forget to favorite and follow! Reviews bring me inspiration to write faster!**

 **Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


	5. Chapter V: The Princess' Decree

**Nature's Gift**

 **Heya! Orph here once more with the next chapter of Nature's Gift! You know the drill, reviews and then we begin!**

 **Deiru Tamashi: He was talking about Tsume, Tsunade is still not in Konoha yet.**

 **: Interesting idea, I may just incorporate it.**

 **Warrof: No, you're right. It's short. But I'm doing that purposefully, since I'm doing very frequent updates.**

 **Mystery Joker/Mangahero18: The Gift Games are pretty much just something that Naruto made. Why it is that other people honor them will be shown later.**

 **Vampwalker709: It's genetic, basically a kekkai genkai.**

 **Nahte123456: You will be even more okay with it after this chapter, I guarantee it.**

 **Chapter V: The Princess' Decree**

"Make sure to finish reading chapter 6 tonight." Iruka told the class as he began erasing the board. "I'll see all of you tomorrow." As he let the class go, Naruto stood, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his neck until he heard a satisfying crack.

"Alright, finally class is over." He said happily. "So, you two gonna watch me beat the Princess?" Naruto asked curiously, surprised when they shook their head.

"Cleaning duty this week, Naruto." Kiba replied with a sigh. "I would love to see her realize how bad an idea it was to fight you, but if I try to skip out the Yamanaka will rat me out." Naruto grinned.

"My condolences that you have to spend a whole afternoon with Her Royal Airheadedness. What about you, Shino? You wanna watch?" The boy was silent a moment before shaking his head. "Why not?"

"I have to be at home today. Otou-sama came back from a mission and is going to teach me techniques for keeping the hive calm. They will prove useful to me almost immediately as well since, it appears, any time anyone interacts with you and I am around agitation is commonplace." Naruto chuckled at that.

"Yeah, usually I'm good at calming down animals. Problem is, when other people get involved, especially certain people, it tends to overpower my calming aura." He explained. "Kaijin doesn't think its part of my bloodline though, so its not as if I can just make it stronger with chakra, its more to do with how I'm always around animals. Anyways, I'll make sure to tell you two how it goes, though I'm sure that it won't be too difficult to guess."

"As if you could beat me." Hanabi's voice rang out behind the trio of boys, catching Naruto's attention. Both of the Hyuuga twins stood there, Hanabi with her arms crossed and Hinata behind her poking her fingers together. "Not even in your wildest dreams would the pride of the Hyuuga Clan lose to some… freak of nature, some orphan who was abandoned."

Before Naruto could say anything, several beetles flew from Shino's coat and Kiba had his fist balled up, grabbing Hanabi's collar and holding his fist up. The kikaichu were on the girl's face, still but ready to bite. "Apologize right now, you stuck-up, good for nothing, piece of trash." Kiba growled out, making Hanabi's eyes widen since she hadn't even had time to react to it.

She looked past the Inuzuka to see Naruto standing still, shaking a bit. If she wasn't so adept at noticing details, she also might not have noted that his upper lip looked as if he was straining it to keep it still. _Is he… is he about to cry?_ She thought to herself. That was impossible though… he was the Demon, the boy without fear who would beat up anyone who crossed his path. She then noted that he was walking forward, his left hand balled into a fist. The blonde grabbed Kiba, pulling him back a bit. Kiba complied and let go of the girl. "Shino, call them off." He stated. Shino didn't react, but the kikaichu did indeed fly back to Shino, hiding in his coat.

As Naruto raised his fist, Hanabi flinched. Instead of receiving a punch, as expected, something no one expected happened. Naruto grabbed one of Hanabi's wrists and placed his hand over hers. When he let go, the Hyuuga amulet was in her hand and he walked off, leaving the four behind. "Heh, guess you're right, Princess. And you didn't even need to throw a punch to beat me into submission. Take it, I don't want to play a Game with you anyways. Wouldn't want your hands to get dirty from being around a worthless piece of junk like me, would I?"

After he left the room, Hanabi looked down in her hand to see the amulet. "I hope you're real proud of yourself." She looked up at Kiba. "You just had to go and bring up his family, huh? Well, congratulations, you beat the Demon, you beat Naruto." Kiba walked past the girl. "He may not have a clan, or money, or status, but you know what he does have that you never will?" Hanabi didn't say anything. "He's got a heart. He's got empathy. He knows that it doesn't matter where you come from, it matters what you do to make a name for yourself. It matters how you treat people. Sure he gets in fights, but did you ever think to ask why?" Kiba scoffed. "Of course not, how could a clan like the Hyuuga, who make their own family into slaves, understand anything about the pack? He fights for us, for his friends. Know why he beat that no-good cousin of yours? Because he was bullying one of our friends, so Naruto showed them what happens when you do that. So, again, congratulations on beating Naruto. You're just lucky that I respect him enough to not beat you here and now. Come on Shino… wouldn't want to turn into scum like the Princess here… Screw the Yamanaka too, she can clean by herself. I'll take detention over being around trash like you any day."

Shino nodded and followed Kiba out the class, leaving the Hyuuga sisters alone in the class. Hanabi looked down at the amulet then turned to her sister, who was looking at the ground, poking her fingers together. "H-hanabi-chan…" Hinata began as she felt her sister look at her. "I… it r-really w-wasn't a very n-nice thing to say…" Hanabi looked back down at the amulet and grit her teeth, squeezing the necklace tightly in her hand.

 **[][][]**

"Oy, Naruto!" The blonde looked behind him as he heard his name and saw Kiba rushing towards him, Shino walking sedately behind the dog-like boy. "Don't let her get to you, she doesn't matter and her opinion is worth even less." He said, trying to cheer his friend up. Naruto smiled a bit as Shino finally caught up.

"Thanks, Kiba. I thought you two had places to be though?" He asked.

"Meh, the Yamanaka can do it herself. I'll take a session of detention, it doesn't matter much." Kiba replied with an easygoing smile.

"The hive does not abandon its own." Shino stated cryptically, making Naruto smile in response.

"Thanks you guys… it means a lot." Naruto spoke. Suddenly, he felt a weight atop his head. When he looked up, he saw a pair of arms crossed atop his noggin and heard a familiar voice.

"So, are you three getting into trouble again? Does onee-chan have to bail you out once more?" The voice made Naruto's grin widen once more as he ducked down, freeing himself. The girl who was responsible was now visible. She had a pair of grey eyes and black hair tied in two Chinese-styled buns that gave her the look of a panda. She was wearing a pink, qipao blouse with red trimming and no sleeves as well as a pair of dark green pants. Behind the girl stood a grinning Lee.

"Hey there, Ten-nee." Naruto greeted with a smile. "No, we didn't do anything that would get us in trouble." He said with a straight face. The girl crossed her arms and looked at the katana on his back. Naruto looked behind him and then back at her and scratched the back of his head. "Heh… probably should have sealed that up. Okay, but I technically told the truth. _We_ didn't do anything wrong. I was the only one who fought and it was only because they were trying to bully Lee."

Tenten shook her head with a smile. "Alright, you're forgiven then." She mumbled.

"Yosh! Since we're all here together, why don't all of you join Naruto and me in training?" Lee exclaimed. "We can have a sparring tournament to see who the best is!" Kiba, Shino and Tenten looked at each other before nodding to varying degrees, Kiba and Tenten also grinning at the opportunity. "Yosh! Let us go to the Training Grounds then!"

As Lee began to lead them, Naruto right behind him, Tenten fell behind so she was grouped with Kiba and Shino. "What happened in class today, you two?" She asked the two heirs. When neither answered, she continued. "You told him that 'she doesn't matter and her opinion is worth even less' so spill it. Who is it that I need to beat up?"

Kiba and Shino looked at each other and sighed. "Look, don't do anything. Naruto made it clear he doesn't want us to fight her when he stopped us from beating her up ourselves." He explained to her. "I'll tell you what happened, only if you promise not to do anything." Tenten frowned but nodded her head. "Hanabi called Naruto a freak of nature whose parents abandoned him." He told her.

Tenten was silent, but the Killer Intent that began to exude from her was frightening for the two boys. "That… privileged bitch… said what about my otouto?" Tenten asked very calmly, though it was an icy anger that would put a Yuki to shame. Even as she looked back at the school, Naruto and Shino each grabbed one of her arms and began to force her to keep following Naruto and Lee.

"You promised, Tenten!" Kiba told her. "Come on, just go to the Training Grounds with us and we'll use the tournament to cheer up Naruto!" He tried talking sense into the bun-haired kunoichi in training, which seemed to work as she stopped struggling. She sighed and began walking with them.

"Fine, fine… we'll cheer up Naruto-kun… Even though I really want to show that stuck-up girl what my interrogation classes have shown me how to do…"

"You are not alone in that desire, Tenten-san." Shino replied. "It is my wish to give Hanabi-san an understanding of why the Aburame Clan's kikaichu are so feared among the shinobi world." The boy's voice had lost all of its calm, yet that it was still quiet but that made it even more terrifying that Tenten's Killer Intent.

"Naruto is the alpha though… he can take care of himself. We just need to make sure we bring him through this so he can take her down himself. He's got his pride on the line here." Kiba explained to them. "The pack is supposed to help their own but this is Naruto's fight… he'll decide what to do with her and when to do it, so we just have to leave the decision to him. Until then, we just have to support him in any way we can."

Tenten sighed once more, letting her anger simmer down, though it didn't actually disappear. "No, you're right… you're right. If we took a fight from him, he'd never forgive us. We've just got to be here for him until he's ready to challenge that girl to one of his Games. When he does that, we'll know that he's over it." Kiba nodded, showing his agreement.

"It will be interesting to see what sort of Game he will challenge her to though, and whether she will accept. He doesn't have the amulet anymore… so there's not much that he can offer her if she wins, nothing I can think of that she'd like to have anyways." Shino spoke.

"Hm… that's true. Naruto's Games only work because he can motivate his opponents into fighting him. I mean… he's pretty much the only one that does this sort of thing. I think he knows it too, that the Gift Games only really matter to him. The only thing that allows them to work is because he will honor his side and if he wins, he usually beats the other person so badly that he can just take his prize. That's why he's the Demon though… no mercy for those who can't hold their own."

"I guess we have to play our own Game then." Tenten said with a small smile as they reached Training Ground 3. As the other two looked at her curiously, she answered their unspoken question. "We've got to play the waiting game and see how Naruto takes this. Just like with everything else that involves him, it will be interesting to watch." Neither Kiba nor Shino could disagree with that sentiment. It would certainly prove to be interesting.

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 **And that's it!**

 **So, thoughts on Hanabi, Tenten, Kiba, Shino or any other part of this chapter? I know it's mostly character development/interaction but you'll get some fight scenes soon, just wait!**

 **Anyways, remember to favorite and follow! Reviews bring me inspiration and speed up my update speed!**

 **Orpheus out! Ja ne!**


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